Tony Grant

Contributing Writer

Tony Grant’s fishing experience dates back to his childhood. He has been fishing and guiding for muskies on Cave Run Lake, in Kentucky since the late 80’s.Â With this kind of experience, he has gained a wealth of knowledge relating to the “King of Freshwater”, the mighty muskie.Â Early on in his muskie fishing adventures, Tony realized that this fish was far superior to any other freshwater predator.

Tony has focused on educating others on the art and technique of muskie fishing with a “catch and release”, “give back what you take” attitude. We are fortunate to be able to make a living supporting something we both enjoy so much.Â Educating America’s youth on the numerous conservation efforts for muskie as well as all species has been a top priority over the years.Â Tony has given over 150 educational seminars and by the end of 2001 will have given over 40 more.Â Including the Chicago, Milwaukee and Minnesota Muskie shows.

You can find articles written by Tony in numerous outdoor publications and on several Internet sites.Â He also writes quite a few articles for Musky Hunter Magazine on southern techniques that he has successfully used throughout muskie country.Â He can also be heard on many outdoor radio shows including the ESPN radio network in southern Ohio.Â The highlight of Tony’s television career thus far was a spot on Cincinnati’s “Sports of all Sorts” fishin’ edition as well as a Co-hosting spot on several Outdoor Connection shows. In 2001 Tony also appeared on “The Tom Richards Fishing Show” aired on the Outdoor Channel.

Tony took his love for muskie fishing one step further when he started guiding for the local marina and then took another major step when he started Cave Run Muskie Guide service in 1992.Â The guide service is now one of the largest services of its kind in North America.Â In 1996, Tony and I published the first edition of the Muskie Release.Â This little newsletter was initially mailed to 3000 recipients and handed out to about 5000 more.Â It initially contained basic information about the Cave Run Lake area, conservation and muskie.Â It is now triple the size and mailed to over 15,000 recipients and handed out to 10,000 more.Â It contains the information mentioned previously along with articles, advertisers, tournament information, and has expanded to include information about other species around Cave Run including crappie, bass, deer and turkey.

Our web site, kymuskie.com, a big hit amongst muskie hunters as well as hunting and fishing enthusiasts was soon to follow and contains much of the same information.Â Recently, we opened Mountain Muskie Lodge drawing visitors from all over the country and soon after built the Muskie Shack, an all muskie tackle shop.Â We can’t say we have come as far as we have alone.Â We have had the invaluable support of a multitude of people.Â Our sponsors whose logos are displayed in the sidebars of this article deserve to be recognized and thanked for their support.Â David Christian, our manager, has been with the guide service since it opened and has contributed greatly to its success and to the success of numerous efforts being used to support the fish.Â David is greatly appreciated for all of his efforts.

Tony also fishes in a multitude of tournaments and I’m proud to say that he had several top five finishes in the Professional Muskie Tournament Trail in 1999.Â He placed 5th in the yearly standings, and achieved 3rd place in the tour invitational receiving big fish honors.Â It has been quite inspiring to see such a diverse group of fishermen and women come together, competitively, while still upholding a true respect for the well-being of the fish we all admire.Â Many of these individuals donate their time and money to ensure future generations have the chance to enjoy this sport.

Although, he also realized that even this superior species needs protection from it’s many adversaries, most of which are caused by mankind. Tony’s efforts to protect this fish far exceed his dedication to catch this fish.Â While Tony truly wants to show as many people as he can the thrill and adrenaline rush of muskie fishing, he also wants to be sure that our natural resources are protected by these same people who have learned to appreciate the true value they possess.Â Please take pride in protecting our natural resources.

Our future endeavors include an online rendition of “The Muskie Release”, fishing clinics for kids which we have tentatively named Kentucky Mountain Youth Fishing Clinic, and an annual Kentucky Mountain Muskie school for the novice and seasoned muskie hunter.